Ontario's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Brad Duguid, has announced that 510 renewable energy contract offers totaling almost 2,500 MW have been approved under the province's feed-in-tariff (FIT) program.
Seventy-six of the approved projects are ground-mounted solar photovoltaic, while one is a rooftop solar project. (In addition, 47 are on-shore wind projects and 46 are waterpower projects. There are also seven biogas projects, two biomass projects, four landfill gas projects and one off-shore wind project.)
Future transmission system expansion will open up capacity to accommodate more renewable projects, the Ontario Power Authority says. Projects that did not receive a first round FIT contract offer will now be put through an Economic Connection Test (ECT) to identify transmission or distribution system expansion projects that support renewable generation and meet economic requirements.
The first test will start in August or September. Renewable energy projects enabled by these expansions projects will be eligible for a FIT contract once work begins on the projects.
SOURCE: Ontario Power Authority
